Content tagged 'toddler'

Fall weather is finally here and cooler temperatures usher in fall allergy season. The sneezing, stuffy nose, itchy eyes, scratchy throats and cough, which are all symptoms of allergic rhinitis, start up as the pollens blows in and stirs up ragweed, the most common fall allergen.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Bexco Enterprises Inc., doing business as Million Dollar Baby of Montebello, Calif. is announcing a voluntary recall of 18,000 children's four-drawer dressers

You might assume that toddlers don't like sharing their food or their things with others, but according to a new study you would be wrong.

Toddlers love to give because it makes them happy. I even love typing that sentence. How sweet is the thought of little happy toddlers sharing and laughing with each other?

A team of three psychologists at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, gave toddlers some treats and a few minutes later asked the toddlers to give one of their treats to a puppet. The children were also given an extra treat and asked to give this to the puppet too.

The toddlers' reactions to these requests were videotaped and then rated for happiness. The researchers concluded that the toddlers showed greater happiness when they shared their own treat than when they shared the extra treat. This suggests that this behavior is emotionally rewarding for the children.

"People tend to assume that toddlers are naturally selfish," study lead author Lara Aknin said in a university news release. "These findings show that children are actually happier giving than receiving."

This study and others like it suggests that the good feelings we have when helping others is deeply ingrained in our psyche, beginning in early childhood.

I wonder sometimes if we could all be a little more like these toddlers, enjoying the accomplishment of giving to others instead of so focused on ourselves, the world might just be a happier place.

If you're planning the perfect getaway this summer with your family, don't let motion sickness spoil your plans. Did you know 58% of children between the ages of four and 10 experience the symptoms of motion sickness?

They're convenient but could make your child extremely ill. Those colorful and handy little laundry packs, that many households are switching to as an alternative to boxed detergents and heavy bottles, are causing some children to end up in the emergency room.

There have been almost 250 cases reported this year to poison control. These cases are only a tiny fraction of the thousands of poisoning calls received every year about household medicines and other cleaning supplies, but doctors are concerned. The symptoms they see in connection with ingesting the packets, such as nausea and breathing problems, are more severe than typical detergent poisoning.

"We're not quite sure why it's happening," said Dr. Kurt Kleinschmidt, a Dallas toxicologist and professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. "But we've clearly had some kids who have become much more ill. We look at these pods as being clearly more dangerous than the standard detergent."

Detergent manufacturers introduced versions of the packets earlier this year. They're intended to be dropped into a laundry machine in place of liquid or powder detergent.

Several poison control centers started to get calls from parents about the packets in March and April, soon after they were introduced in earnest. Texas reported 71 instances of exposure this year, all but one in March or later. Missouri reported 25 cases related to the packets, and Illinois reported 26.

"If you look at the Tide Pods, they're bright blue and bright red and they look very similar to some of the ribbon candy," said Julie Weber, director of the Missouri Poison Control Center in St. Louis.

Paul Fox, a spokesman for Procter & Gamble, the parent company of Tide, says all cleaning products need to be handled carefully. He said Tide was working with poison control centers and advocacy groups to make sure parents know more about the risks.

Millions of families across the United States will hit the road this Memorial Day weekend...with a majority of them driving. I want to make sure you arrive safely so it's important for everyone to buckle up and restrained properly.

Allergy season is literally in full bloom with flowers, trees and grasses all contributing to the sneezing, itchy eyes, runny noses and coughs which are seen in allergic children. If your child continues to suffer from allergies despite medical therapy with daily antihistamines and nasal steroids, your pediatrician may recommend a visit to a pediatric allergist.

Parents of children who are "late-talkers" may have no reason to worry says a new study. Do you have a toddler that isn't talking as much as you think he or she should? There's no need to worry according to a new study.

Experts estimate that 1 percent of the population of children in the U.S. ages 3-17 have an autism spectrum disorder. Autism occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, and is more likely to occur in boys. It is the fastest growing developmental disability in children and there is great concern that a new definition of autism may have a huge impact on the care and treatment of people who have the disorder.

To date, it has been an unbelievably quiet flu season throughout the country. But with that being said there is still some flu and there could be more to come, this is typically the time of year that flu begins to peak.

Many parents have a love hate relationship with their child's pacifier and I have to agree with them. They often will ask me "when is it time to give up the pacifier?" I am a big fan of a pacifier for an infant as babies need to satisfy their urge for non-nutritive sucking. Pacifiers help relax a baby and make them calmer. Maybe we all need a pacifier.

As a pediatrician and mother I spend a great deal of time discussing sleep issues with both my patients and my own children. Why is it that parents think they can never get enough sleep and children don't seem to think they need to sleep, at least when we would like them too.

Do you immediately run to the rescue and try to save your child from failing? Many parents, guardians, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, neighbors, and school systems seem to believe that failure is simply not an option for a child these days.

Parenting is both rewarding and stressful. Wouldn't it be great if a reliable "How To Raise Your Child" book came with the birth of your child? Since that doesn't happen in real life, a lot of parents are finding a new article on "How to Mess up Your Kids" helpful.

If you are an avid reader of my daily dose, you know how much I learn from my patients. One of the many wonderful things about my practice; not only do I get to teach parents and patients new things, but my parents and patients teach me. This "ying and yang" is what keeps my practice fun, keeps me in the know.